Conventional candles contain a single wick. In these candles, the cross-sectional surface area of the wick is much smaller than the cross-sectional surface area of the candle itself. The conventional candle thus suffers from the problem of failing to provide sufficient heat so that the candle body burns evenly. Particularly, in candles contained in a container or vessel, the melt pool fails to reach the edge of the container. Larger candles and irregularly shaped candles with single wicks also suffer from this problem.
Further, conventional candles are limited because the flame created takes on the shape of the wick. Thus, the flame exists as a single point, and no aesthetic designs, shapes, or patterns can be created with the flame itself. The conventional wick, despite the use of rectangular, circular, or even a hollow wick, creates only a single point of light. A further drawback of the conventional candle is that the horizontal cross-sectional area of the wick is small compared to the horizontal cross-sectional area of the candle body.
Typical candles occasionally use multiple wicks, evenly placed throughout the candle body. Larger or irregularly shaped candles are often provided with these multiple wicks distributed in the candle body to provide sufficient heat for the candle wax to liquefy and burn. However, even these types of candles suffer from the same problems as discussed above because of the placement and use of multiple, conventional wicks in larger and irregularly shaped candles. Multiple wick use in a candle further suffers from the drawback that the melt pool created by each burning wick does not conform to the shape of the candle or the candle's container. The total cross-sectional area of the multiple wicks is still relatively small compared to the cross-sectional area of the candle, even when multiple wicks are used. Because of these deficiencies in the use of multiple conventional wicks, larger or irregularly shaped candles typically burn unevenly. Even these candles are limited in their aesthetic possibilities, as the flame shapes created by the multiple wicks appear simply as multiple points of light.
United States Patent Application 20120202160 discloses a candle that has a ribbon style wick disposed in the candle body so that the wick creates a shape in addition to the shape of the wick material itself. The shape created by the wick is an open or closed shape that may be geometric or organic. The body of the wick is surrounded by wax and, if a closed shape is created, the wax is disposed within the closed shape. Once lit, the flame of the candle then takes on the shape created by the placement of the wick. This does not address the problem of uneven burning, dripping wax, wax residues, and lack of resistance to being blown out by wind gusts or rapid movement.
United States Patent Application 20150041068 discloses a system and method for manufacturing a composite candle wick includes a mechanism for feeding the cotton wick and wood wick at substantially the same speeds. The wood wick is heated in order to cause a melting of a wax coating around the cotton wick and pressure is applied to the wick materials through a compression wheel and drive belt which carries the wick materials. Once the pressure is applied to form the composite wick the wicks are then sent through a cutting tube where a cutting blade will cut the wick to its desired length. The use of composite wicks does not address the problem of the candle being blown out by gusts of wind, nor does it address the problem of dripping wax and the resultant mess.
United States Patent Application 20130095440 discloses a rigid planar wick and one or more fabric wicks are adhered together for use in candles. The fabric wicks may be planar fabric wicks, traditional shaped string-shaped wicks or a fabric sheath. The rigid wick is of a predetermined width, length, and thickness and the planar fabric wick is of some dimension equal to, less than, or greater than the planar surface area of the rigid wick. By combining both a planar fabric wick and a rigid planar wick, consistency in flame heights can be achieved, providing an improved wick for candle use. This does not address the problem of the candle being blown out by gusts of wind, nor does it address the problem of dripping wax and the resultant mess.
What is needed is a candle that does not drip, and that has superior burning characteristics. It would be preferable if there was no wax residue left from burning the candle and little or no melt pool. It would be more preferable if the candle was resistant to being blown out by gusts of wind, or if moved quickly. It would be further preferable if the candle was composed of a lower percentage of wax as compared to conventional wax candles. It would be further preferable it the candle could be easily cut to provide a fresh, clean candle. It would be preferable if the candle could be provided in a variety of different shapes, while retaining the desired advantages.